Shrivel up and die … of laughter

Flies in the Snuffbox brings comedy back to the Black Box

Written with Matthew A. Jonassaint, originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 29, 2008.

Media Credit: UVU Theater Department

Elize Newton and Julie Sazo look blithely on as Scott M. Stringham suffer from stress-induced heart palpitations in The Proposal

D. Terry Petrie and Isaac Walters, the chair of and a lecturer for the theatrical arts department respectively, jump-started UVU’s theater season from summer by directing the best production we have ever seen on campus.

Flies in the Snuffbox, collected 1880’s Russian comedy sketches by Anton Chekhov, is more than a successful production — it is unadulterated, enlightened entertainment.

The play is technically four short comedies, the first of which has been segmented to form a more distinct transition between the stories.

The first sketch, On the Harmfulness of Tobacco, was brilliantly handled. The piece was broken into four segments, and was integrated between the other sketches in a way that creatively unified them. Nathaniel Drew was the sole performer in this particular sketch, and he did a fantastic job. His character, who spoke directly to the house, was the perfect bridge between actors and audience. His performance is engaging, relatable, invigorating, and hilarious. In the hands of a lesser actor, this rambling bit of script would simply be stale and flat, but he made it effervescent.

The beginning of The Bear, skit two in the play, provides the low point in the show. However, as the plot heightens, and the audience becomes better acquainted with the leading characters, any disappointment is more than made up for. Here is where the theme of pseudo-psychological terror in long-term relationships really manifests.

And it evolves into a delightful character-based comedy that is more entertaining than any movie in theaters right now. The light design as well is particularly well-done in this piece.

The leading actors in The Bear, Jeremy J. Minagro and Penny Pendleton, ease you in to a full-on yelling match, which warms the audience up nicely for the altercations in the following sketches. It’s an example of an extensively incorporated aspect of the show — to stretch themes and plot devices across all of the short stories.

Scott M. Stringham’s high-strung performance in the third sketch, The Proposal, forces the audience to feel his anxiety. Imagine Charlie Brown without therapy at 35 years old, trying to ask a friend of the family to marry him. Add a dash of Munchausen syndrome and you’re close to Stringham’s character. Elize Newton is the other standout performance of this piece. She plays the obstinate, argumentative counterpart to Stringham, adding her own brand of hilarity to the action. Julie Suazo plays the mother, and Suazo ably balances the character’s tension and mediation in the story.

The plot of The Proposal is less neatly tied off than in The Bear, which parallels the theme of devolution in long-term relationships nicely. The final sketch, The Jubilee, descends into pure chaos by the end. This sketch, about employees of a bank on the night of a company party, practically erupts on the stage. The women show the worst characteristics they are blamed for earlier in the script, the men become children or monsters, and every relationship between characters is destroyed. But it is still a delight to watch.

Amos Omer plays a smug, self-appreciating boss whose egocentricity is exceeded only by his overly talkative wife, played by Britni Gibbs. His antics will seem all too familiar to students working through school by relating with middle management; he is akin to Michael Scott from The Office, but with actual concern for his career. Jana Grass is fantastic as a dynamic character whose obstinate and thunderous nature is matched only by Leviticus Brown as an elderly, miserable volcano who leads the tone of the entire sketch with the sense of a slowly approaching collision.

Performers also include Samuel Davis, Natalie Devine, and Jacob Porter.

The comedy is not merely effective — it’s exhausting, and that’s because the actors perform so provocatively that each line becomes an engaging, relatable experience for the audience. Flies in the Snuffbox is executed well because at the heart of the production, there is a message inherent to the actors, directors, stories, and Chekhov: that human beings are weak, desperate, stubborn creatures who overexaggerate and complain often. And for some reason, that’s uproarious to witness.

“Perfect musical” at Pioneer Theater

My Fair Lady opens in Salt Lake City

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 29, 2008.

Media Credit: Courtesy of Pioneer Theater Company

My Fair Lady is as close to a perfect musical as there is in this world. From its brilliant source material – Shaw’s Pygmalion – to the best score and libretto ever written by Lerner and Loewe, to its audience-pleasing mingling of romance with witty social commentary, My Fair Lady is the rarest of combinations: a classic that’s fun to produce and a joy to watch,” said Pioneer Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Charles Morey.

The classic musical most of us know from the movie featuring Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle will show at PTC until Oct. 4. Pioneer, the only legitimate Equity theater in Salt Lake, has hit the nail on the head with this production.

The members of the cast fit together perfectly, like the pieces of a puzzle. Paul Deboy plays Henry Higgins to be especially eccentric and brooding — almost curmudgeonly — creating the perfect antithesis to the naive, optimistic Freddy Eynsford-Hill, played by Jeremiah Miller. This balancing act between characters and classes continues from curtain to curtain. Roguish Mr. Doolittle (Jeff Brooks) is the polar opposite of gentlemanly Colonel Pickering (Max Robnson), the upper class in the famous horse-racing scene act in a manner completely incomprehensible to the London street rats, and Eliza Doolittle turns a complete 180 in her transformation from flower girl to bona fide lady.

This rare standout feature of the production required a complete understanding of the script’s purpose from both cast and crew. This is truly professional theater – the likes of which venues in Utah Valley can hardly hold a candle to. Is it “Broadway quality,” as the PTC claims? No. But it’s much closer to Broadway quality than Utah is to New York.

My Fair Lady is not immaculate, but still worth saving up for tickets.

The best news about this particular production is, the cheaper the seats, the better your view. Sitting on the sixth row from the apron, the large proscenium and stage-filling sets almost seemed too close. And the cast does such a good job at emoting that you won’t miss a thing in the back row.

Who: Pioneer Theatre Company

What: My Fair Lady by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe
When: Sept. 19 through Oct. 4 Mondays – Thursdays: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays: 8:00 p.m. Saturday matinees: 2:00 p.m.
Where: Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre on U of U campus 300 S. 1400 E. Salt Lake City
Tickets: $26-$49 Students K-12 half price on Monday and Tuesday Tickets can be purchased through the box office at (801) 581-6961 or online at www.pioneertheatre.org

Of the valley

When the second act isn’t the only terrifying prospect

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 29, 2008.

Media Credit: Jordy Kirkman

On Sept. 6, three workers at Showtime Utah — formerly known as the Grove Theater — in downtown Pleasant Grove witnessed a 20 oz. root beer mug rise up in the air and move at an alarming speed toward the dishwasher, which was about 5 feet away, shattering on impact.

Head chef Josh Southard, chef’s assistant Chris Southard, and waitress Stephanie Tobias were cleaning up after a show that Saturday. Josh Southard thought that the incident was “cool. I never thought I would ever see something like that.”

Workers in the 82-year-old theater have heard footsteps and strange noises before, but they remained relatively ignored.

Several weeks before the mug incident, Josh Southard set some kitchenware on top of a refrigerator and continued about his business. From another room he heard a loud crash, and upon returning to the kitchen discovered that the bowl and pans were scattered on the floor — the glassware broken.

This certainly isn’t the first time a theater has claimed to house the supernatural.

The Caine Lyric theater in Logan, for example, houses an established friendly ghost, Everett. According to the Lyric’s website, Everett was killed by a jealous fellow performer during a run of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The theater even has a special seat in the loge for Everett, directly behind a chandelier that arbitrarily sways, supposedly reminding cast, crew, and patrons of Everett’s presence.

The idea of a haunted theater is particularly delicious. A live theater is a place where reality and logic are intentionally cast off, where the stakes are heightened. What better place for a poltergeist to loiter?

Oh the thinks they thought

Seussical plays at the Scera

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 29, 2008.

Media Credit: Jordy Kirkman

Seussical is exactly what it sounds like — a musical based on the ideology and stories of Dr. Seuss. Horton the Elephant is the only animal in the Jungle of Nool that can hear the Whos, who are living on a precarious speck of dust. The story is narrated by the Cat in the Hat, who plays Jiminy Cricket to Jojo, an imaginative boy from Whoville.

Still interested? If that last paragraph was difficult to swallow, you might not be able to sit through Scera’s latest colorful, chaotic, possibly seizure-inducing musical.

If you’re willing to let the madness sweep over you, and to forgive a few sloppy scenes, Seussical can be a lot of fun. It’s certainly entertaining — A.J. Nielsen as the Cat in the Hat, in particular, adds a delightful, unharnessed hilarity to the show.

The production would be a great way to introduce children to live theater. They will recognize characters from the best of the Dr. Seuss books, and the music is full of cheeky maxims that they might be young and pure enough to believe.

However, if you’re childless and cold of heart, Seussical can still be a fun night. Many of the songs can be interpreted as thinly veiled satires of very grown-up issues. Take the song “Amazing Mayzie” from the first act. In this song, the bird Mayzie (played by BYU alum Makenna James) tells how she made her tail bigger and better by using pharmaceuticals. “Get the pills and you can have frills,” her backup singers croon. What else starts with a “T” and is commonly altered medically?

If you throw your imagination into the show’s topsy-turvy pool, it will most definitely make for an entertaining night.

What: Seussical by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens When: Sept. 19 through Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m. Where: SCERA Center for the Arts, 745 S. State St., Orem Tickets: $12 for adults, $10 for children, students, and seniors

Dressing for the Election

Political paraphernalia is the new black

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 22, 2008.

It’s important for people to look like what they are. Administrators wear suits, chefs wear toques, rock stars let their hair grow out, and Democrats wear the word “Hope” on their T-shirts.

To flaunt your political leanings while supporting your chosen candidate, it’s easiest to go straight to the candidate’s Web site. Both JohnMccain.com and BarackObama.com have a store selling things like apparel, accessories, and car magnets and stickers. The sites also provide links to other sellers that donate all or part of their profit to the respective campaigns.

However, the candidate’s Web sites feature pretty run-of-the-mill merchandise. If you’re looking for something stylish or unique, you’ll need to go somewhere else. The most popular online sites for campaign merchandise are CafePress.com, Ebay.com, and Etsy.com.

CafePress.com in particular is making a big ruckus over their sales of political prints and how they could possibly predict the election’s outcome. “Merchandise sales indicate a great deal of political passion from the American public, and that ‘instant response’ we saw this week proves the Internet is playing a major role in how we participate in elections. That buzz is back,” said CafePress VP of Marketing Amy Maniatis after the organization got an influx of requests for merchandise after the conventions and candidates’ VP choices.

Merchandise can also be found for running mates and more obscure candidates. A picture of the popular Rosie the Riveter, of World War II fame, has been Photoshopped with Sarah Palin’s face, and Ralph Nader and Ron Paul T-shirts are easy to find.

Of the Valley

Fashion week and the trickle-down

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 22, 2008.

Media Credit: Jordy Kirkman

Spring 2009’s fashion shows began and ended last week at Fashion Week in New York, and admittedly, Utah didn’t blink an eye. The Beehive State is notoriously far removed from the frontier of fashion, but we still can’t help but be affected by the goings-on of the fashion elite. Taking note of the trends beginning on the east coast now can help us prepare for what we’ll be wearing when the wave hits us, traditionally about two years later.

A classic example of this is in the movie The Devil Wears Prada. Meryl Streep (who plays a character molded after infamous editor of Vogue U.S. Anna Wintour) delivers a monologue to her assistant Andy, played by Anne Hathaway. In a scene where the magazine’s executives are choosing which trends to promote, Hathaway is wearing a casual unassuming blue sweater, thinking herself above the fashion madness.

Streep informs her that several seasons ago, that same color of blue popped up on the runways, and that “that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs, and so it’s sort of comical how you think that you’ve made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry when, in fact, you’re wearing the sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room.”

The same is true for us in Utah.

So what will trickle down from the high-street goings-on of last week to our humble state? It could turn out to be a bit wonderful and a bit terrifying.

First of all, accept that you will eventually let your waistband rise back to your actual waist. This trend returned after years of low-rise silhouettes a couple years ago, and it can already be seen outside of mainstream Utah style.

The jumpsuit trend took root in the fashion-blogging world this summer, and jumpsuits were seen on several celebrities. As predicted, Fashion Week showed several collections with a working-class inspired jumpsuit. This could possibly mean overalls are making their way back to the mall. This is one thing that states like Utah do very well — take an innovative silhouette and interpret it as permission to lean back on old habits.

As for this fall, the standout trends from the shows (which took place in March and April) point to tweed, plaid, peplum, longer leaner skirts, and simple color palettes.

My personal favorite place to check up on the latest fashion shows is style.com, the online branch of Vogue magazine. If you’re looking to just see the best of, there are always more fashion blogs to peruse. Start at the most popular ones like StyleBubble.typepad.com, KingdomOfStyle.typepad.co.uk, or Liebemarlene.blogspot.com and go on from there.

Rock’n Dogs Resort

‘Backyard to bedroom’ trend finds root

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 22, 2008.

Media Credit: Trent Bates

Manager and Lab Technician Katrina Mumson handles the larger of the animals at the resort in the outdoor play area.

resort and adventure center opened in Orem this year with outdoor pool and grass area, planned trips to nearby sightseeing hotspots, 24-hour a day staff and medical care, and top-of-the-line meals. To spend time at the resort, potential roomers have to pass physical and psychological tests. Simply, it’s the best in its class around here.

But it’s only for dogs.

Rock’n Dogs Resort is the only local animal boarding center that is owned and operated by veterinarians. The dogs are only kenneled during meals, “nap time,” and at night, and are under constant supervision by a trained staff.

Some of the features of the resort seem ridiculous to the untrained eye; an in-ground swimming pool, field trips to local canyons and rivers, and food with ingredients graded by the FDA for human consumption may be more than a dog could ask for.

However, the animals at the resort during the Review’s interview were obviously euphorically happy.

Each animal must be spayed or neutered and current on all vaccinations to stay at the resort. According to owner J. Callas, the dogs also must pass a “socialization interview,” during which they are introduced to different types of other dogs, varying in size and demeanor, to determine whether they’re eligible to board there.

Naturally, service like this isn’t cheap. Boarding is $25-$35 per day depending on the size of the animal, and daycare is $20 per day or $6 per hour. That can add up quickly, but if Fido’s the only think keeping you from a weekend vacation, it may well be worth it.

The center’s employees keep meticulous track of the behavior and health of the animal while it is at the resort, using charts on clipboards reminiscent of records at hospitals.

The target audience of the center is the baby boomer, who is now typically sending their youngest child off to college. This demographic typically fills their empty nest with an animal, and is willing to spoil it rotten. However, for an extra fifty dollars or so, UVU students and faculty can give their dog the best weekend of their life. Think of it as a thank-you gift to your most loyal furry friend.

More information:

To learn more about the Resort or to sign your dog up for boarding, call (801) 623-6666, e-mail rockndogsresort@gmail.com or visit their Web site at RockNDogsResort.com

George Winston comes to Provo

Solo pianist will perform at Covey Art Center

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 15, 2008.

This Friday, solo pianist George Winston will perform at the Covey Center for the Arts in Provo. Winston, whose career began in 1972 with his first album, Ballads and Blues, has since released seven multi-platinum, platinum and gold albums.

Chances are the majority of UVU students have never heard of Winston. But their parents most likely have. His career peaked in the ’70s and ’80s, but that doesn’t mean he’s no longer an important contributor to the music world. Since 1980 he has released nine solo piano albums, the most recent of which was a tribute to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina titled Gulf Coast Blues and Impressions. This album was released on Sept. 5.

According to a press release from the Covey Center, Winston plays over one hundred solo piano concerts a year. His songs range from New Orleans R&B piano to Vince Guaraldi’s Peanuts pieces.

“I play three styles: New Orleans R&B piano, and the majority of the songs I play are in this style; stride piano, which was the main way of playing that I worked on after hearing Fats Waller and Teddy Wilson; and third, folk piano, the style that I came up with in 1971 which is influenced and inspired by instrumental R&B and rock, North American folk music, and even more by the sounds of the piano itself,” Winston said.

The Covey Center is evolving into a more impressive and respectable venue in Utah Valley. They have started to draw in more than just local artists like the Thrillionaires and Kirby Heybourne. For example, the annual dance concert Thriller by Odyssey Dance Theater has never performed in Utah Valley, but this October they will show for two nights at the Center.

The venue has become a place for multiple types of entertainment. Theater, comedy, dance, symphonies, art, and community parties have all been hosted at the center.

More Information

The Covey Center is located at 425 West Center Street in Provo. Tickets to the event are $20-$25 and can be purchased at the Ticket Office, by calling 801-852-7007, or by visiting www.CoveyCenter.org. The concert will take place on Friday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

March of the Salt Soldiers

Relatable local play shows at Centre Stage

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 15, 2008.

Catching a production like UVU’s March of the Salt Soldiers is a rare opportunity; if you are reading this newspaper, the script was written specifically for you. There will be a character you can relate with, and the subject of the dialogue directly effects you.

James Arrington, a professor at UVU, teamed up with local playwright Mahonri Stewart under the commission of the Utah Sesquicentennial Committee to create a play about the Utah War. What they came up with is a well-presented conversation about issues of church vs. state in Utahan history from a Mormon, non-Mormon, and ex-Mormon point of view.

The play begins by forcing you to think about the Utah War — but not in an overbearing way. Even though it is contemporary theater, the actors won’t be asking you to make any verbal contributions. This initial mental stimulation serves to warm the audience up to the intellectual dialogue during the body of the play.

The authors did a particularly good job in writing something that was both informative and interesting. The script transitions gracefully between hard information about “Buchanan’s Blunder” and plot and character development. The interpersonal relations of the characters prove that the issues of church vs. state and Mormons vs. non-Mormons that lead to the Utah War are still problematic today.

At about forty minutes into the production, it starts to feel a bit long. The actors keep it rolling at a good rhythm, but with so much dialogue and so little visual interest, it is difficult at times for the audience to remain engaged. There is an intermission at around 8:30, and the second act will keep you interested.

All of the acting in the show is good, but there were a few standouts: Benjamin A. Sansom as Dr. Orson Z. Young in particular played his character with a breadth of believable emotion. Lawrence M. McLay portrayed his part with a peaceful Southern wit, especially excelling in comedy. Hank Florence as Dr. Maxwell A. Weismann played an ideal opposing force to Sansom, making every line sound like it was the first time he uttered it.

Near the conclusion of the play, there are a couple plot devices that seem unnatural and unnecessary, but that are used to bring around a tidy conclusion. This may have been a gift to the audience — for Utahan audiences are notorious for liking stories tied up in a bow at the end. The topic of the play, however, would have been better served if the action was inconclusive and the audience members had to tie that bow themselves.

The play shows at Centre stage in the first floor of the Student Center. The seating isn’t raised, so get there early if you don’t want to stare at the back of someone’s head for the evening. And if you have problems sitting for a long time, bring a pillow: The chairs aren’t padded.

More information

March of the Salt Soldiers shows at UVU’s Centre Stage on Sept. 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $6 to $10 and can be purchased at Campus Connection

Another grand reopening

Scera unleashes new lobby

Originally published in the UVU Review on Sept. 8, 2008.

In celebration of its 75th anniversary and recent remodel, the Scera Center for the Arts held a ribbon cutting on Sept. 4.

The event included a dance performance and short speeches by Xango higher-ups, long-time fans of the Scera, and Orem City mayor pro tem Carl Hernandez.

The ribbon was cut by Miss Orem, Krystal Millard, and the newly revamped lobby was revealed. Walls were painted, new furniture was installed, and new art and framed mirrors freckled the walls. A new stained glass window (designed by Tom Holdman) has been installed, and another is soon to come.

The largest change was found in the concession area — they tore down the old candy booth, and centralized all concessions into a “Scoops” stand at the front of the lobby. The building was also brought up to code, with new fire safety and electrical systems.

How will this affect you? Well, it just might not.

Something people under 30 may take for granted is the Scera’s heritage. It was opened in 1933, during the Great Depression, when a local leader in the LDS church decided that the community needed some way of keeping families together. They started showing eight-millimeter films weekly in a local high school’s auditorium. The building we now know as the Scera Center was built in 1941. During that time, Geneva Steel was also being built, but if men in the community had any extra time to work, they would spend it helping out with this new theater.

A few years ago, the Scera was in financial trouble. The introduction of several new high-tech movie theaters like the Cinemark in Provo Towne Center and the Megaplex 8 at Thanksgiving Point were drawing crowds away from the now-aging theaters in Scera. Members of the community who remembered what Scera did for them when they were younger rallied together and donated what they could to keep the center alive. Then, the Scera entered into a five-year commitment with juice-producers Xango. The Xango Grand theater was installed about a year-and-a-half ago, and the center started seeing their audience come back.

The redecorated lobby is almost acting as a sign to the community, saying that the Scera theaters, Scera Shell, and Scera pool are still up and running, and still a place for families to be entertained together.